The men’s and women’s cross country teams competed in the WIAC cross country championships Nov. 1 at UW-Stevens Point.

The women’s team was led by a strong performance from senior Jessica Scott, who placed third in the conference championships for the second year in a row. Sophomore Alli Tank was the second Pioneer to cross the finish line coming in 27th with freshman Ann Tank taking 42nd. Senior Trista Baye came in at 56th and senior Emma Dreis in 57th. Reigning women’s conference champ UW-Eau Claire defended their title with UW-Oshkosh and UW-La Crosse rounding out the top three team finishes.

The men’s team finished seventh at the conference championships, paced by Tony Kilburg, who came in at 25th place. The scoring for the men’s team was rounded out by sophomore Nate Petesch in 30th, junior Matt Hoefs in 43rd, junior Josh Melby in 51st, and freshman Shane Lacy in 53rd.

The men’s seventh-place finish was a bit of a disappointment for a team that entered the race ranked fifth in the region and 21st nationally, head cross country coach Tom Antczak said.

“We went into the race hoping for third place, realistically should have been fourth, but we got beat by Eau Claire, who fell out of the national rankings during the season, and two unranked teams, and we ended up in seventh place,” Antczak said.

Melby is still optimistic about the team’s chances at regionals, “I would say now the pressure’s off. We got together as a team and talked about the race, and we’re confident we can do well at regionals and give ourselves a chance to go to Nationals.”

The men’s conference championship was won by third ranked UW-SP, followed by fifth ranked UW-O and sixth ranked UW-L. The Pioneers now look forward to the Midwest Regional Championship Saturday, Nov. 15th at Augustana College. Even though the regional championship is held in the middle of November in the upper Midwest, Scott doesn’t consider the weather a major factor in the race.

“Last year it was nice, but two years ago it was cold and raining. It wasn’t the greatest conditions, but everybody has to run in it, so it levels it all out,” Scott said.

Coach Antczak agreed, “As long as there’s no ice on the ground, it’s not a concern. Heat is a much bigger concern for a long-distance runner than the cold or rain.”

The top two teams at the Regional Championship earn automatic bids to the National Championships, and in addition there are 16 bids spread among the eight regions that are awarded to teams based on their performance throughout the season, with more emphasis placed on the last two varsity meets and the Conference Championships.

As the season winds down, Pioneer runners are collecting individual awards. Sophomores Alli Tank and Greg Alleman earned WIAC Sportsmanship Awards, which recognizes runners who exhibit strong sportsmanship throughout the season. Scott was named one of the WIAC Women’s Cross-Country Scholar-Athlete along with UW-EC’s Beth Lutz for maintaining academic excellence while competing in WIAC athletics.